Suppressing the anger in his heart, Jieyin glared fiercely at Pingxin and Haotian.
Then he vanished from where he stood.
After Jieyin left, Empress Pingxin's expression shifted.
She said to Dizang, who was still stunned, "Since we've reached an agreement, go down to the Nine Netherworlds now, Dizang!
Remember the rules of the Underworld!
Otherwise, there'll be a place for you on the Heavenly Court's Execution Platform."
Empress Pingxin's words jolted Dizang back to his senses.
That "negotiation" had shaken him deeply.
Since when had even a Sage been so aggrieved?
It seemed he'd better act with caution from now on.
Putting those thoughts aside, Dizang said solemnly, "I'll go now!"
Then he left the main hall.
Seeing that the matter had been settled, Haotian was about to take his leave.
Unexpectedly, Empress Pingxin pushed the Eight Treasures Merit Pool toward him.
"Fellow Daoist Haotian!
My Witch Clan couldn't use spiritual treasures in the past, so we have few of them in our possession.
Your proposal to establish the Yin Si last time, and your assistance in coming here today, have both benefited me and the Witch Clan greatly.
All I can do is offer this Eight Treasures Merit Pool as a small token of gratitude.
I hope you won't think it beneath you."
Haotian merely glanced at the spiritual treasure before him.
Then he replied, "There's no need, Fellow Daoist Pingxin. I came this time because of the Western Teachings' actions, which would have disrupted the Underworld's order.
As for the Yin Si matter, you and I both benefited from it."
Hearing Haotian's words, Empress Pingxin pondered.
Of course!
How could Haotian care about a mere High-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure?
It couldn't repay the favor of his helping her twice, either.
After a moment's thought, Empress Pingxin could only say, "Please accept it, Fellow Daoist Haotian.
I know this spiritual treasure cannot settle the Karma between us from your two acts of assistance.
Consider it a first installment, repaying the Karma for your intervention this time.
Otherwise, I really won't be able to put my mind at ease."
Since Empress Pingxin put it that way, Haotian had no choice but to accept the Eight Treasures Merit Pool.
"Very well!
Since you insist, it would be rather inappropriate for me to keep refusing.
I'll accept this spiritual treasure."
After putting it away, Haotian said to Empress Pingxin, "If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
Empress Pingxin called out to stop him.
"Wait, Fellow Daoist!"
Haotian asked, "Is there something else?"
After collecting her thoughts, Empress Pingxin said, "It's nothing major. I just wanted to ask you something.
If the Western Teachings or another Sage's Great Sect keeps sending their disciples here, how should we handle it?"
Haotian replied, "That's simple.
You only need to follow the example set by Dizang.
We're the ones who control the Underworld.
As long as other powers follow the rules when they interfere, they won't have much of an impact on us.
Especially now, when the Witch Clan has occupied nearly all the important Yin Si positions.
You can use the remaining posts to secure benefits.
Just make sure that the cultivators entering the Underworld obey its rules.
Under those rules, even if the disciples of the Sage's Great Sects do an excellent job, they'll only be taking some of our busywork off our hands.
Do you understand?"
Empress Pingxin nodded.
"I understand, Fellow Daoist Haotian."
"Then I'll take my leave!
Until next time!"
With that, Haotian left the Underworld.
Once outside, Haotian found a place and took out the Eight Treasures Merit Pool.
After studying it for a while, he came up with a plan.
In the hands of other powers, this spiritual treasure might be somewhat useful.
More likely, it would end up as little more than a white elephant.
But in his hands, it was a rare treasure.
Cleansing the body and washing away Karma and Karmic Debt?
Those two abilities were weak?
That was no problem!
Multiply them ten thousandfold, and every issue would be solved.
Even a white elephant could become a treasure.
Its ability to wash away Karma was especially suited to Haotian.
As the Heavenly Emperor, he was already responsible for setting the Primordial World's Karma in order and slowing the frequency of Measure Calamities.
That was also why he would have no choice but to endure tribulations time and time again in the future.
The more tribulations he endured, the more of the Primordial World's Karma he would set in order.
But the Karma on Haotian himself would also continue to grow.
Tribulations, great or small, all brought entanglements of Karma.
The only difference was how much.
But what would become of him after countless tribulations piled up?
Enduring countless Eons sounded impressive.
But the entanglements of Karma would be just as heavy.
And entanglements of Karma were precisely what cultivators feared most.
As the saying went, Merit was easy to accumulate, but Karma was hard to dispel.
Now that he had the Eight Treasures Merit Pool, his future troubles had been eliminated.
At the thought, Haotian nodded in satisfaction.
This had really been worth it!
As for offending Jieyin, a Sage?
No matter!
If he'd let Jieyin get his way so easily, he would still have ended up offending him over this sooner or later.
After putting the treasure away, Haotian continued north.
But the farther north he went, the more Demon Race members he "happened" to scoop up along the way.
Empress Nuwa, in the Wa Imperial Palace, gradually sensed that something was amiss.
At that moment, Empress Nuwa sat in the Wa Imperial Palace, her expression grave as she watched the Mirror of Radiance before her.
She hadn't paid Haotian much attention before, so she hadn't noticed anything unusual.
But recently, she'd felt a stirring in her heart. After performing some divinations, she discovered that the Demon Race's Fortune was diminishing.
The amount lost so far wasn't large.
But it was enough to put her on alert.
After some divination, Empress Nuwa finally found the culprit.
She wanted to see just how Haotian was managing to damage the Demon Race's Fortune.
After watching for a while, Empress Nuwa seemed to catch on to something.
But after thinking it over, she decided it was unlikely.
Continuing to observe him was her only choice.
With the Demon Race's Fortune at stake, Empress Nuwa didn't dare be careless.
But she ended up watching him for nearly ten thousand years.
Whenever she saw Haotian's actions, Empress Nuwa's brows furrowed.
Those demons burdened with Karmic Debt—if he killed them, so be it.
But...
He didn't even spare the lesser demons with little Karmic Debt, Haotian. He bundled them up and sent them straight back to the Heavenly Court.
What was that supposed to mean?
That wasn't even the main problem.
The main problem was that she still couldn't figure out why Haotian was targeting the Demon Race.
Was it because of their heavy Karmic Debt?
But what baffled her was that Haotian didn't kill every demon with heavy Karmic Debt.
It felt as though that fellow was acting on a whim, drawing a lucky winner at random.
It was this strange approach of Haotian's that kept Nuwa from figuring out his purpose.
After watching him until now, Empress Nuwa kept feeling that she was close to understanding Haotian's purpose.
But something was still missing.
Soon,
Haotian stopped again in the Mirror of Radiance.
Watching what he did, Empress Nuwa knew—
another member of the Demon Race was about to fall victim to Haotian.
And this one was a demon to whom she had entrusted an important responsibility.
She just didn't know whether Haotian's goal this time was to kill or capture.
Before you continue